Maria Merian’s Butterflies by Kate Heard

I found Maria Merian’s Butterflies by Kate Heard as a free to download pdf on Royal Collection Trust’s website. See the link at the end of the post. I loved the book. It’s not long and most of it are reproductions of beautiful artwork made by Maria Merian. It starts with a rather long story of her life, considering that this is not a biography, and that makes the book really really interesting. Maria was such an interesting person. She was born in 1647 and died in 1717. Her stepfather trained her as an artist. She was fascinated by butterflies from her early teens.

She moved to Amsterdam, married and had 2 daughters. In Amsterdam she saw specimens from Suriname, a Dutch colony, which intrigued her. She went to Suriname for 2 years, between 1699 and 1701, to explore the country. She recorded how the butterflies were eating and their metamorphoses. After returning to Amsterdam she published the book The Metamorphosis of the Insects of Suriname. It was groundbreaking at that time as it showed the life cycle on the correct host plant, which was not done before.

Maria’s illustrations inspired other natural historians. She was the only 17th century woman to engage in scientific experimentation and publish her discoveries. The story of her life, including details about her stepfather and her husband were interesting to read. She was supported by both these men. Her daughters were artists as well, following in her footsteps. She read and cited other scientists who had the same interest as her. She did more, by linking animals and plants in her study.

The book also describes how she managed to raise funds to publish her book and that is also particularly interesting to read about. Also, her wonderful work is included in the book and it’s a joy to see. To read the book. It’s free to download and it would be a shame to miss it.

Maria Merian’s Butterflies by Kate Heard

Details about the picture: –
My rating: 5/5 Stars
Would I recommend it: yes
Published by: Royal Collection Trust
Year it was published: 2016
Format: Hardcover
Genre(s): Plants and butterflies book
Pages: 192

About the author: Kate Heard is Senior Curator of Prints and Drawings, Royal Collection Trust. Her previous publications include George IV: Art and Spectacle (2019), The First Georgians: Art & Monarchy (2014) and High Spirits: The Comic Art of Thomas Rowlandson (2013).
She worked previous at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford.
Website & Social Media Links: rct